During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nashville Pride was initially postponed, with the hope of holding a limited festival in Fall 2020. A few weeks ago, vendors received notice that the festival would in fact be canceled, and today the Pride Board released the following statement:
The Nashville Pride Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Nashville Pride Festival and Parade that was postponed earlier this year, due to the continued impact that COVID-19 has had throughout the United States and our region. Despite multiple attempts to re envision the 2020 celebration, members of the organization determined that it is not possible to safely host the type of celebration that our community has come to expect.
Since its inception, Nashville Pride has been dedicated to ensuring the safety of our community, partners, vendors, and artists, and are focused on doing everything possible to ensure a safe operating environment. However, following additional Information from public officials, healthcare professionals, and industry experts we have determined that an in-person celebration is not possible for this year.
The Board of Directors of the annual LGBTQIA+ celebration was optimistic throughout the last few months that the scourge of COVID-19 would continue to diminish in our region, and that a celebration for the community could move forward. Regardless, Nashville Pride will continue to create opportunities for our community to connect virtually throughout the remainder of the year.
Understanding the importance of social good and the need to support members of our community, Nashville Pride has launched Give Me Five, — a campaign in an effort to give back to those in our community with the greatest need. Throughout the pandemic and following the Nashville tornado, we have heard countless stories of need for those who have experienced immense loss or struggle. We are asking members of our community
who would normally spend the five dollars to attend our festival, to donate that to our community fund. The monies raised through this campaign will support organizations that support our LGBTQIA+ community on the ground. To make a donation visit: www.nashvillepride.org/givemefive.
In addition to our fall fundraising campaign, Nashville Pride has also continued to work on a number of projects to maintain the sense of community during these times:
• Nashville Pride Board and Committee meetings have moved to remote meetings to reinforce social distancing. (https://www.nashvillepride.org/board). Members our of community are invited to attend these meetings to continue to support our work.
• The second phase of Nashville Pride’s Community Visioning Project with a focus on Collective Impact will launch in the early fall. (https://www.nashvillepride.org/cvp)
• Season 2 of Nashville Pride Live will debut in late September to showcase the immense talents of our community via live streaming. (https://www.nashvillepride.org/live)